GPS/ Phone mount search

SMSW

Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
8,172
Location
Cleveland
Bike
2010 ST1300
I remember seeing a picture here of a homemade mount that was a horizontal bar with two vertical posts that was positioned between the handlebars over the steering stem. The posts replaced the two bolts(?) holding the decorative center cover in place.

I cannot find this post. Does anyone remember it and can you point me toward it?
 
Here's a pic of a similar mount, but on a new Goldwing. Mount a piece of sheet metal on top of the spacers and you're done. You might have to bend the metal to match the angle of the top of the spacers.
image.jpeg



If you use 3/4" diameter spacers, you can the use RAM Torque mounts, around the spacers, to add an additional 2 RAM balls above the dash.

image.jpeg
 
jfheath said:
Do you mean something like this?
Click to expand...

That's a really clean elegant mount. I remember thinking that's how I'd go if I didn't need risers.
 
SMSW said:
I remember seeing a picture here of a homemade mount that was a horizontal bar with two vertical posts that was positioned between the handlebars over the steering stem. The posts replaced the two bolts(?) holding the decorative center cover in place.

I cannot find this post. Does anyone remember it and can you point me toward it?
Click to expand...

That IS a great looking mount- I had one very similar for a while, but , unless it is for a device you DON'T need to see ( phone onBT, iPod hooked up to earphones), it's a bit dangerous to use, due to the fact that you must look down pretty far to see it.
I built a holder that sits up on the dash, with three RAM balls, that puts my GPS just below my line of sight, for easy and safe glances- big improvement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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This is ingenious. Looking at their site there are a lot of options I've never seen for mounting gear: https://www.rammount.com/activity/motorcycle-mounts
 
Although the Centre mounted SatNav is a neat solution, I find it takes more than just a glance to see it and involves moving your head and refocusing. I would have gone this way myself, but tried the idea of securing one to my tank bag. I didn't like it.

Instead, on all 4 of my ST1100 / ST1300 I have drilled into my plastic shelf to mount a ram ball so that the satnav sits behind the screen.

The pics below show this on my ST1300A6 - which I took a few years ago. A ramball mount with a flat, diamond shaped base and two bolt holes. I have cut two pieces of very thick rubber sheet and a piece of thick aluminium to be exactly the same size as the diamond shaped base. The ramball mount sits on top of one rubber sheet. Underneath the fairing shelf is another rubber sheet and the thick alumium sheet. The 5 layers are bolted together.

I was worried that over time, the shelf plastic might crack - but my A6 did 70,000 miles with this mount before I sold it, and I have exactly the same arrangement on my A9. Neither shelf has shown any signs of stress (apart from having 2 holes drilled in them).

Getting the position dead right to allow the screen to be raised and lowered; making sure that the plate and bolts underneath didn't interfere with the screen mechanism; making sure that it could be seen easily; and choosing an arm which didn't amplify the vibration of the bike in motion - were all considerations.

I find that this is easy to see at a quick glance. It is out of the instrument panel. It isn't in my direct line of sight. My pillion can read it over my shoulder.

The wiring passes through one of the small rectangular shaped strengthening notches in the edge of the shelf moulding. I have cut out one of the rectangles.

If anyone wants the precise details of where and how - I'd need to get into the garage and take more photos and measurements - but let me know.

Of course, if money is no object, then you would need to be looking at the Migsel mount. Designed to fit into the push clip holes. A very neat solution. Google Pictures Migsel Mount ST1300. But it sits directly in front of you, which I didn't particularly like.
 

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klaproth said:
, but , unless it is for a device you DON’T need to see ( phone onBT, iPod hooked up to earphones), it’s a bit dangerous to use, due to the fact that you must look down pretty far to see it.
I built a holder that sits up on the dash, with three RAM balls, that puts my GPS just below my line of sight, for easy and safe glances- big improvement.
Click to expand...
My bike came with an aluminum bar mounted to the top of the dash w/ 3 ram balls threaded into it. I used the Garmin windshield mount bolted to the RAM square base w/ a ball on this base. RAM's short clamping bar attaches the GPS to the dash mounted ball. However, the GPS (Garmin 590) is quite heavy and I've had the mount pop loose from the ball on the end of the windshield mount when I've hit a succession of large bumps. Also, because of the weight and the length of the RAM arm , the GPS bounces around a lot due to flex in the dash mount. The dash is, after all, simply two pieces of plastic. For this reason I'm reluctant to use the pictured mount John posted (#9) that came with my GPS for permanent mounting. I'm also considering a Tourtech mount - which is lockable and even more weight. Hence my interest in the pictured bar.

Now that I know its available, I'll make a mock up and see how the whole assembly looks and then maybe I'll make one. To answer the unasked question, of course the pictured mount is worth the asking price and of course it will cost me more to make one were I to count my labor, but I've never been a machinist and now I have new lathes and milling machines available to me for use (free, no less). And I get such a big kick out of doing it myself that I call that Fun w/ a capital F.
 
SMSW said:
Also, because of the weight and the length of the RAM arm , the GPS bounces around a lot due to flex in the dash mount. The dash is, after all, simply two pieces of plastic. For this reason I'm reluctant to use the pictured mount John posted (#9) that came with my GPS for permanent mounting.
Click to expand...
The shorter medium length arm that is pictured is perfectly OK. I tried a longer arm but that started to have problems - especially if the arm was positioned to shift the Zumo to the right. Any bounce in such a set up will come from the flexing of the plastic shelf, and a long arm angled sideways with a heavy satnav WILL cause the issues that you raise. So the location of the mount near to the 'shaped' section - which has more rigidity; the location near to the front of the shelf, where it interlocks with the lip of the upright dash; the orientation of the diamond base and the strengthening underneath the shelf were all important. Plonk a bracket like this in the middle of the centre section of the shelf and it will probably flex far too much and risk cracking the plastic over time.

I'm not trying to 'sell' you this idea - just saying that it works perfectly for me and I've not had any issues at all over 110,000 miles on my ST1300s with Zumo 590 and 660 with this arrangement. But a lot of thought and experiment went into getting it right before drilling the first hole!!
 
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jfheath said:
Although the Centre mounted SatNav is a neat solution, I find it takes more than just a glance to see it and involves moving your head and refocusing. I would have gone this way myself, but tried the idea of securing one to my tank bag. I didn't like it.

Instead, on all 4 of my ST1100 / ST1300 I have drilled into my plastic shelf to mount a ram ball so that the satnav sits behind the screen.

The pics below show this on my ST1300A6 - which I took a few years ago. A ramball mount with a flat, diamond shaped base and two bolt holes. I have cut two pieces of very thick rubber sheet and a piece of thick aluminium to be exactly the same size as the diamond shaped base. The ramball mount sits on top of one rubber sheet. Underneath the fairing shelf is another rubber sheet and the thick alumium sheet. The 5 layers are bolted together.

I was worried that over time, the shelf plastic might crack - but my A6 did 70,000 miles with this mount before I sold it, and I have exactly the same arrangement on my A9. Neither shelf has shown any signs of stress (apart from having 2 holes drilled in them).

Getting the position dead right to allow the screen to be raised and lowered; making sure that the plate and bolts underneath didn't interfere with the screen mechanism; making sure that it could be seen easily; and choosing an arm which didn't amplify the vibration of the bike in motion - were all considerations.

I find that this is easy to see at a quick glance. It is out of the instrument panel. It isn't in my direct line of sight. My pillion can read it over my shoulder.

The wiring passes through one of the small rectangular shaped strengthening notches in the edge of the shelf moulding. I have cut out one of the rectangles.

If anyone wants the precise details of where and how - I'd need to get into the garage and take more photos and measurements - but let me know.

Of course, if money is no object, then you would need to be looking at the Migsel mount. Designed to fit into the push clip holes. A very neat solution. Google Pictures Migsel Mount ST1300. But it sits directly in front of you, which I didn't particularly like.
Click to expand...

I would very much like to have any instructions that you can provide!! At your convenience, of course! :bow1:
 
Can you post a picture of what you did wit h the three RAM balls on a holder,I would really appreciate it
Thank you
 
I put the mount on the dash using a Migsel mount from a member here and a clever phone mount. Just came back from a 1300 mile trip and I'm very pleased with how it worked.
I thought about the mounts for the clutch master cylinder and between the bars but I really wanted something that was a just out of my line of sight.
I'll dig up some photos.
 
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